Loom lets you record videos to help you communicate certain ideas to other employees, both in the office and remotely.
You need a way to convey a specific idea or process with your fellow workers, and you want to do it visually, which leaves out email and phone calls. That’s when a quick video may just do the trick, and for that you can turn to a free program called Loom. With Loom, you can record and share quick videos of yourself communicating something to other employees.
You can use Loom for several purposes. Maybe you’re sharing a document or screen on your PC and want to include a video offering background on the content. Perhaps you want to provide feedback on a specific topic to other people in a team. Maybe you’d like to share information in advance of a meeting to cut down on the time everyone has to spend in that meeting.
SEE: Windows, Linux, and Mac commands everyone needs to know (free PDF) (TechRepublic)
Loom lets you trim the video before you share it. You and other people can even record videos at different times and on different devices. You can then stitch all the separate videos into one single presentation. Loom works on the web as well as in Windows, macOS, iOS, iPadOS and Android. For our purposes here, I’ll cover the process for recording a video from the website.
How to record a video from the Loom website
First, browse to the Loom website and click the button for Get Loom for free. You’ll need an account to use the program, but you can sign in with Google, Slack, Outlook or Apple, or create a new account using your own email. Set up your account with your name and a password.
After you verify your email address, Loom asks you how to plan to use the service — personal, professional or educational. You’re then asked to name your online workspace where all your videos can be accessed.
At the next screen, add the email addresses of any colleagues whom you want to be able to access and collaborate on videos stored in your online library. Then click the link for Continue to Workspace.
At your Workspace window, you can perform a variety of tasks, but I recommend that you first watch the short, pre-recorded videos that explain how and why you would use Loom (Figure A).
Figure A
Next, you can create a video from your browser. In this case, you may want to take a colleague on a tour or demonstration of a document, website or other screen on your PC. Click the button for Record a Loom. Click the button for Start Recording. Choose whether you want to share your entire screen, a single window or a Chrome tab. Click Share (Figure B).
Figure B
Record and narrate your video. A small recording toolbar appears in the lower left where you can pause or cancel the recording.
When done, click the Stop button. Your video appears in another browser page for you to play it (Figure C).
Figure C
Repeat that process for any additional videos you wish to record.
Now let’s say you have a few videos that you need to edit. At your Workspace window, click the Library to display thumbnails of the videos you’ve recorded. Click a specific video. From the small menu on the right, click the option for Trim And Add Clips (Figure D).
Figure D
To trim the video at the start, move the playhead on the timeline to the spot for trimming and click the button for Split to trim. Select the portion at the beginning that you want to remove from your video and click the button for Delete Clip (Figure E).
Figure E
To add additional videos to your current one, click the button for Add Clip. Select the video you want to add (Figure F).
Figure F
You can then reorder the clips. To do so, select a clip and then click the left arrow to reorder it to the left or the right arrow to reorder it to the right. To cancel your last action, click Undo. To cancel all the changes you’ve made to the video, click Revert To Original.
When you’re satisfied with all the edits, click Save Changes (Figure G).
Figure G
Finally, now it’s time to share your completed video. Click the Share button at the top. Type the names or email addresses of the people with whom you wish to share the video. Add a message if you wish. Then click the Share button (Figure H).
Figure H
Alternatively, you can share your video using social media channels for your organization. Click the heading for Social at the top of the Share window. You can now opt to share the video via LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook or Gmail (Figure I).
Figure I
